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Queensland must transform its healthcare system into a people-centred, evidence-led model to attract and retain talent, improve care, and meet growing workforce demands by 2032.
Queensland Health must grow by 46,000 staff by 2032 while tackling chronic attrition, an ageing workforce and post-pandemic fatigue. Private hospitals, primary care and aged care face similar challenges. The demand won’t be met by “more of the same”. It calls for a system that attracts, empowers and retains talent - because in healthcare, value is created by people.
Why the pressure is building
Focus areas for the future
To confront this challenge leaders from across the sector came together at two recent healthcare workforce co-labs and a public event, to identify solutions that can close workforce gaps, elevate care quality and ensure the healthcare system is ready for the future. We heard similar themes outlining the areas for improvement, leadership and people-centred systems must be central to everything we do.
The 60-30-10 opportunity: funding reform without new money
Research led by Braithwaite and colleagues shows that ~60 per cent of care is evidence-based, 30 per cent is low-value and 10 per cent causes harm. If Queensland closed even half of the gap, billions of dollars and thousands of clinician hours could be redirected. Evidence translation is therefore not a cost line, it is a hidden revenue stream.
What now: Translating evidence into action
Achieving faster, people-centred evidence translation is about shifting how the whole system thinks, funds and behaves.
People-centred evidence translation makes both data and patient preference routine in every decision. Alliances of health services, educators, consumers and First Nations leaders set local priorities; digital and AI tools surface up-to-date guidance at the bedside; boards track evidence adoption as rigorously as budgets. Principle-centred leadership - including systems thinking, staff empowerment and psychological safety - creates space for staff to innovate, while funding models reward collaboration, equity and whole-of-system value. Evidence is as critical to business systems and leadership as it is to clinical care.
Together, these shifts can accelerate evidence translation, productivity and performance, ensuring our system is guided by what works, grounded in what matters to people and ready for the workforce demands ahead.
The benefits of people-centred systems
We need to create a people-centred, evidence-led system that is both affordable and sustainable. Technology and capital projects matter, yet they will only deliver if leaders at every level cultivate cultures of collaboration, curiosity and courage.
Queensland’s healthcare workforce challenge is daunting. We require the discipline to translate evidence into action, the humility to keep consumers and staff at the centre, and the resolve to invest in leadership that endures beyond the next roster cycle. Together we can build the health system Queenslanders deserve.
Rhonda supports Bond University in the role of Strategic Advisor. An executive leader in healthcare, higher education, local government, and the private sector, Rhonda is Managing Director of New Evolution Consulting, Director Strategic Partnerships (Australia) for Streamliners and serves on the board of Health Consumers Queensland. She leads initiatives to improve healthcare systems and advance leadership, working with complex stakeholder groups to drive meaningful change.
With expertise in strategy, governance, performance leadership, system and enterprise reform, Rhonda is passionate about building high-performance cultures, advancing healthcare transformation, and developing the next generation of leaders.
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